


All That Matters is Love

by ImaKaraTabiHe



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adopted Peter, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Mother's Day, Mother-Son Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 01:42:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6780166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaKaraTabiHe/pseuds/ImaKaraTabiHe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter is freaking out about his Mother's Day card because it looks terrible and he's not sure he can even bring himself to give it to his adopted mom - Pepper.  She can't possibly like it.. Can she?</p>
            </blockquote>





	All That Matters is Love

Peter frowns as he looks over his handmade card. It looks like a glitter bomb blew up on it, mixing gold and red and blurring the glue letters into blobs of nothing.

_This_ is exactly why Peter hates his art class at school. “Make Mother's Day Cards with paper, glue, and glitter,” his art teacher had said. He was a genius with science and was already learning another language, why did he have to get stuck with glitter art?

He threw his small arms up in the air. Nine years old and the most he can do in art class for Mother's Day is a paper card with glitter everywhere? He groaned.

Why couldn't they just have let him do the whole  luminescent bug art experiment where he had planned on applying the harmless paint on the wings of robotic butterflies he'd invented with his dad, with Tony.

But  _no,_ apparently that wasn't the assignment and he had to do what the teacher assigned instead of making his own Mother's Day present.

Peter knew better though. It was simply that the teacher hadn't understood a word he said passed 'butterflies'. He'd explained the  luminescent paint, but was met with a glare that adults often gave when they wanted him to shut up and obey.

Tony wouldn't have made him do glitter art cards. “Stupid teacher, can't even understand simple science,” Peter muttered to himself as he paced his room. There was no response from Jarvis as he had disabled Jarvis' functions in his room when he was seven – Tony had yet to find out because he'd turn Jarvis back on whenever Tony would stay in his room for a while.

In truth, he wasn't angry with his teacher. Okay yeah, he was a complete idiot when it came to science, but Peter was a genius and he was only stuck on his level because the school wanted him to be social. And because Pepper thought he might enjoy the social safety of being with others of his own age.

It wasn't much help though. He still got beat up by bullies. Sometimes he was sure that his Uncle Clint and Aunt Natasha were going to show up at school and give his bullies a good whack upside the head, but Pepper held them back. Tony was all for it though and secretly tried to get Uncle Steve and Uncle Bucky to go behind Pepper's back.

“Peter! Time for dinner,” Tony's voice called out from the kitchen. Peter took a breath and looked at his ugly glittery card and wanted to burn it so bad.

“Mkay!” He replied, slipping the card in his hoodie pocket, anxiously. Surely, it couldn't be that bad... could it? Maybe Pepper would like it. Mom would like it... wouldn't she?

He kicked his feet as he forced himself out of the room and into the Avengers kitchen area where food was spread out over the table and his mom was chatting with Aunt Natasha.

Peter bit his lip and didn't even answer when Uncle Clint called in greeting to him, ignoring the way Uncle Steve and Uncle Bucky traded concerned expressions. Uncle Bruce and Tony were chatting animatedly over radiation versus cosmic energy theories.

Peter slipped into his seat and started eating when everyone else did, not saying a word to anyone. The card sat in his hoodie like a giant black stain on his conscious.

_God,_ how had he messed up so badly? It was all that teacher's fault and now he had to give his terrible Mother's Day card to his mom and it looked like some just threw glitter on pink paper. He wanted to cry.

“Peter?” His mom's soft voice inquired. “Are you feeling alright?”

Pepper's cool hand rested on his cheek and it made him feel so much worse when it usually made him feel better.

Ever since Pepper and Tony had adopted him and become his parents, they had been so kind to him. When he had nightmares about losing his real mom and dad and then losing Uncle Ben and Aunt May, they had been there. They sat with him at all hours of the night and held him close, letting him cry and comforting him.

“Peter?” He looked up to see concern shining in his mom's eyes and was vaguely aware of how quiet everyone else had become at the table.

He burst into tears, sobbing as he threw himself onto Pepper's lap, clinging to her and spilling everything. Between sobs, he told her about what his teacher made him do as an assignment and how terrible it had turned out, how he had planned on making something wonderful, but nobody would let him.

Pepper just held him and rubbed his back soothingly. “Sshh.. It's okay, Peter,” she murmured, exchanging upset glances with Tony. They were both angry at the teacher who had  belittled Peter's intelligence and his idea for his own Mother's Day present.

“Can I see it?” she asked when his tears had dried up. Peter hesitated before pulling the glitter infested card out of his hoodie and handing it to her, cheeks stained with shame.

He didn't even look at her when he gave it to her, just kept his eyes on his lap, afraid of her reaction. He wanted to do something better for her to show her how grateful and happy he was, but he'd been forced to make that stupid card..

"Peter,” Pepper's voice came gently, “look at me.” Peter sucked in a deep breath before he lifted his head and looked at her.

Instead of disgust and dislike, her face shone with happiness and pride. It confused Peter more than Shakespeare and made him frown.

“I love it,” she stated and Peter's brows furrowed instantly. She 'loved it'? How could she love it? It was a pathetic mess of red and gold glitter and looked like it would be more attractive in the garbage.

“But it's ugly,” Peter bluntly spoke out.

Pepper's fingers rubbed his tear stained cheeks as she smiled at him, gently. “How hard did you work on this?”

Four hours. He had skipped lunch and skipped his free period to work on it when his teacher had denied him the right to make a better present for Pepper.

That it was long must've shown on his face because Pepper kissed his forehead and smiled again at him. “You did your best, even when you couldn't do what you wanted to,” she explained. “You did your best for me, Peter, and that is the best present I could ask for.”

It clicked in his head. This was the first Mother's Day present he had given her. Last year, he'd been too distraught from nightmares about his real mom and Aunt May to even think about giving her one, so this year was the first year he was giving her a present.

She didn't say it was 'beautiful' or exaggerate it. She accepted it as it was and cared, not about the appearance, but the intention behind it. “I love it,” she repeated firmly, cementing the notion in Peter's head.

Peter gave her a small smile that she returned full force before he hugged her fiercely. “Happy Mother's Day, Mom,” he murmured in Pepper's ear.

The Avengers looked on with smiles on their faces and Tony had to turn to wipe a tear away, while Steve looked like he was on the verge of tears publicly.

Pepper pecked his cheek as they returned to eating, murmuring a soft 'thank you'. It was the best Mother's Day present ever for her – knowing her child loved her that much was all it took.

Peter glanced up at Pepper as they continued eating, memorizing the look of happiness on her face. Next year, he'd make a better present because that's what she deserved. She hadn't been his mom for long, but time didn't matter. She loved him and he loved her. That's all that mattered to be mother and child. Love.

**Author's Note:**

> So.. I'm using a battery challenged computer to write this, but I couldn't resist. I had gone to the library today and totally forgotten that I wanted to write a fanfic to honor Mother's Day, so I did one with this weird computer.
> 
> Anyways, I want to take this end note and tell my mom how much I love her, even though she will most likely never see this. She raised two children with no father in the picture all on her own and she's been through a lot in life. It would've been easier to just give us away but she kept going and did things that everyone thought she couldn't do on her own, even after losing her own parents when my sibling and I were young.
> 
> So, for her and for all the other mothers out there (blood or not), Happy Mother's Day and thank you for everything!


End file.
